Find a Marriage Counsellor Now : 4 Steps to Choose the Right Therapist

Are you looking to make your relationship stronger and create a solid foundation of trust, respect, and commitment? If so, marriage counseling may be the right option for you. While it can be daunting to embark on this journey with a stranger and discuss private matters in an unfamiliar setting, working with a professional counselor who is experienced and trained in couples therapy can open up channels of communication that will provide lasting benefits. 

In this blog post, we'll explore how to find the right marriage counselor for your needs so that you receive quality care and feel comfortable expressing yourself openly during each session. Let's get started!

How to find a marriage counselor: 4 steps to the right therapist

Finding the right marriage counselor can be daunting – especially if it's your first time. After all, entrusting someone with your relationship struggles is no small decision. Fortunately, there are certain steps you can take to make sure that you find a reputable and qualified professional who has the experience needed to help couples in distress. 

We will provide an overview of what you should look for when choosing a marriage counselor as well as valuable resources that can assist you in this process. With these tips in mind, you'll be one step closer to finding the support and guidance necessary to nurture strong relationships and cultivate peace of mind!

STEP 1 : Understand the “Where to” of finding the certified couples therapist.

The moment you start browsing for a therapist specially a marriage counselor or couple therapist you will find a variety of options scattered all over the place. Finding the right person for you might look like a hectic job. But between us all you need is to filter out the therapists who are specially trained in couple therapy under proper supervision. (you see not all therapists have received this training).

I know you would be wondering what is the big deal of finding a marriage counselor who has been trained under supervision so necessary. My answer to this question is another question, Don't you want your therapist to use the correct technique and intervention on you and your spouse? Don't you want those techniques to bring positive changes to your marriage? I hope you got my point. 

Ok, let's move ahead…

Once you've shortlisted the therapists who have received the right training and supervision in couples therapy from the ones who have not-phew that was a whole lot of repetition- the next thing you need to do is find who all from the shortlisted therapists are licensed in your state.

The few resources which will assist you in your search for a good marriage therapist includes : 

• American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT)
• American Psychological Association (APA)
• Psychology Today
• The Gottman Institute

Here, you will find all legitimate, well-certified couple therapists near and around with whom you can trust the process of building a strong and sustaining marriage.

Numerous organizations offer marriage counseling online, which could be more economical and practical for you and your partner.

Good therapy and good relationship therapy require two different skill sets. Every therapist's career path is distinctive and varied; therefore, they must consider their educational background, professional experiences, and method of developing clinical practice. A therapist's licensure alone should not be used to evaluate them.

I believe you got my point regarding the above-mentioned tip. In addition to finding your therapist, you might also want to consider your options for paying for therapy during this step. 

It's important to remember that paying more for a therapist does not necessarily guarantee better care or quicker results.  Even though treatment is pricey, it will ultimately cost less than getting a divorce if it helps you save and rebuild your marriage.

So, 

Licensed therapist-check

Certified in couples therapy-check

Trained under supervision-check

Worth every penny-check

Now we are all set to move on to our next step, i.e; 

STEP 2: Its OK to ask questions and investigate your therapist

Now that you've identified a few potential therapists to work with, I would advise getting to know them to ensure that you two are a good match.

When it comes to taking therapy, always remember that you are the one who is in need for the process to work properly. You and you alone should get a positive result out of it and remember you are the one spending your money. So it is OK for you to ask questions and get to know your therapist.

So how does this work? 

Ask direct questions to discover more about a marriage counselor's methods and credentials, assess their level of competency, and identify what to anticipate. Inquire about the therapist's approach to therapy, couple therapy training, and treatment techniques.

Note : This is vital if you didn't receive a direct reference or find the therapist online. 

Here, are some questions you can ask your therapist to get more clarifications: 

1. How long have you been a couple's counselor? 
2. How much of your clientele involves couples therapy? 
3. Do you have a graduate degree? Please provide more details. 
4. How many sessions last? 
5. What should we anticipate? 
6. It would be beneficial to inquire about your therapist's opinions and experience level if you are seeking assistance with non monogamy, varied expressions of sexuality, BDSM, and/or gender identity. What are your opinions about [insert whatever matters to you]?

Dramatically speaking an ideal therapist and you must be a match made in heaven, only then will you connect with the professional and will be motivated to work the exercises and tips provided by your expert. And ultimately giving you visible groundbreaking results. 

Once you are with your therapist, after a few sessions or maybe the very first and second session, ask yourself a few questions. Like,  Am I feeling a connection with the therapist?Am I feeling any change in the dynamics of my marriage? Is the therapist really listening to me and our marital problems efficiently?

If  you land up on a big NO as your answer to these questions, then probably that therapist is not your match. It's better to look for another professional who can actually be of help to you.

However, do not feel disheartened if the first person you encountered turned out wrong. In fact patt yourself for making that first move towards regaining your married life. Kudos to you my friend!

Likewise we have come to the end of our step no.2. Now let's explore the next step on how to find a marriage counselor.

STEP 3:  Improve and grow by sticking onto therapy. Just do not say “Thank You” yet.

If in case you have found your match, unlike as mentioned previously on STEP.2, then trust the process and stay put with your therapy sessions. 

See it as a work out. I know you probably would be thinking what ? Work out ? What does that have to do with therapy? 

Actually it has a lot to do with therapy, let me explain it to you. When you decide you want to lose weight and keep a particular target on it, say for example you are now 132 lbs and you have decided to cut your weight to 110 lbs.  After a few days of you starting to work out, there is a visible change noticed on your body weight and you’ve lost 13 lbs. Suddenly you decide now that my body weight is reducing and I have seen a visible change, I'm going to quit working out and sit back and relax. 

What about you achieving your target weight? Will sitting back and relaxing help you achieve your target weight?  NO

In fact the effort you put on losing those few pounds would be useless and you will in no time gain back your lost body weight. 

Similarly, if your therapy is found really promising and you and your spouse experience few obvious positive changes in your marriage, just don’t say ‘Thank You’ yet. If you want to completely solve the issues between you and your spouse then you must stick on to therapy for maybe 8-9 sessions more so that you can together reach to the core of the matter and be done with it once and for all. 

Leaving therapy just after experiencing some visible changes that might have actually resolved the obvious issues will not do good to your relationship in the near future. It is crucial for you and your spouse to find the core of the issue and resolve it together with the help of your therapist.

So, keep on working out until you reach your target goal. That is a “happily ever after until death do us apart”

With which we reach our final destination, that is 

STEP 4: Speak up and let them know if it is working or not.

Many times people who come for therapy do not open up or be honest about the therapy sessions. Come on, it's your relationship, it's your therapy , you are the boss here. So break that wall down and give an honest review.  

Of course at first you might feel you are being brutally honest and may be a slight disrespectful but trust me if the person sitting opposite to you is an experienced and a good therapist it is without a doubt they will listen to you and understand your concern. 

A good therapist will acknowledge the fact that not every method that works on one couple, would work on another. They do know every couple is unique and so is their relationship.

I encourage every couple who approaches our couple therapy services  to share their honest comments with our therapists as only then will they be able to understand what you require and provide the right services that could genuinely help you.

Being more adamant about your needs rather than keeping them to yourself may be part of your work in therapy. And that will finally lead to your romantic relationship. And if you're still having trouble, don't be hesitant to speak to your therapist and let them know what's bothering you. 

Your couples therapist is there to support you, and in order for therapy to be successful for you, they need your involvement.

I hope you have understood the steps mentioned above and so have got your answers on how to find a marriage counselor. As a token of love I would also like to give you some additional information. That is the type of marriage therapists available out there. After knowing about the same you will have a more wide insight while browsing for a marriage therapist when in need.

Know about the 4 types of marriage therapists

Marriage counselors have a variety of names, which you'll discover once you start browsing for them. Here is a breakdown of the acronyms that appear after their names.

1. Licensed Marriage and Family therapist (LMFT)

A concept that sees patients as a part of a wider marital, family, or community system that impacts and influences mental health and well-being is used specifically by licensed marriage and family therapists to work with couples and families to manage issues in their relationships.

A therapist who is licensed to practice marital and family therapy (or a related mental health specialty) must have a master's degree in that field of study, amass supervised clinical experience, pass licensing exams, and earn and maintain their state licensure.

2. Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)

Some licensed clinical social workers have a specialization in marriage counseling or family therapy, while others have a social improvement perspective. A Master of Social Work (MSW) degree and passing the state's social work licensing exam are qualifications for becoming an LCSW.

3. Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) or Licensed professional Counselor(LPC)

Through a personal improvement viewpoint that focuses on each patient individually and the specific personal challenges they are battling that affect their mental health and well-being, counselors lead positive behavioral change. 

A master's degree in psychology (or a closely related mental health subject), gaining supervised clinical work experience, and passing a license exam are all criteria for certification.

4. Psychologist (Ph.D or Psy.D)

Psychologists are qualified to assess and diagnose mental illness and offer specialized evaluation, diagnosis, and therapy in the field of mental health. A Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) is a degree that places more of an emphasis on research, whereas a Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) is a degree that has more of an emphasis on clinical training.

FIND THE RIGHT MARRIAGE THERAPIST WITH LIFEBULB

Marriage is an institution that needs maintenance and a lot of work. And it takes the two of you to do the same. When one person starts ignoring this fact, that is where it all begins.

Couples therapy or Marriage therapy has the potential to completely transform your relationship, but it requires the cooperation of both spouses. Your relationship and quality of life can be significantly improved by making the first of finding a skilled marriage counselor.

If you landed up here browsing on “How to find a Marriage counselor” then kudos for making that first step towards bringing your relationship with your spouse closer.

We at Lifebulb have the best licensed and skilled marriage therapists at service for you. Even though I do not like to brag, we have helped several couples get back closer and retain their lost spark. So, if you are looking for a professional expert to fix what you feel is broken, then click here to find the right therapist.

Let us give you the support you are looking for!